Moving On: Why Izzy Borlase had to leave Adelaide

One of the game's brightest young stars defected from her hometown team to join the reigning champs. It's all part of a grand plan she hopes can help her reach her highest potential.

Photo credit: Hannah Peters / Getty Images

It’s already the biggest move of WNBL free agency.

Izzy Borlase - a 20-year-old Olympic medallist, WNBA draftee, and Adelaide local, departing her hometown club to join the league’s reigning champions. It’s not quite Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors, but the magnitude of the move sets off a chain reaction that impacts the league’s entire landscape.

Where does the recently saved Adelaide go from here, having lost out on their brightest young talent? Can contenders like Perth and Townsville keep up with the star-studded Spirit? How can Southside and Geelong get back into the title conversation? What do sleeping giants like Sydney and Canberra have in store?

And then of course, there’s Bendigo. Fresh from a drought breaking title, they’ve backed it up with the biggest move of free agency. Borlase isn’t quite a like-for-like replacement for departed MVP Sami Whitcomb, but there’s only a finite number of Opals available on the free market. Not only did the Spirit somehow snap one up, they arguably added an asset with the most upside in the league.

How they did it is one question, but why exactly Borlase chose Bendigo is perhaps the more pressing one. Here’s a young star with the world at her feet, clearly atop Adelaide’s free agency plans, and even wearing Rachel Sporn’s un-retired jersey. Why move?

Is it a case of a young star simply chasing a championship? Is money the motive? Or was last season’s rollercoaster ride enough for a fresh start? From afar, it’s easy to assume any of these could be key contributors, but if you dig a little deeper, it’s not the case at all.

Borlase’s big, bold, and brave move is one that’s been years in the making, all in a bid to achieve her ultimate goal.